Fire and Ice
by Eva Kelly
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and the squints descend on the annual Fire and Ice Ball. Booth brings a date, but Angela and Bones have other plans for him:
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Bones, or the Fire and Ice Ball or Valentine's Day!

_You are ice and fire the touch of you burns my hands like snow_

_--Amy Lowell_

"You have got to be the only single woman I know who doesn't hate Valentine's Day" Angela tried to understand her boss's undying love for a holiday that she herself would not be able to enjoy this year. She wouldn't be enjoying this particular day of love because she was still licking her wounds after an amicable but still painful break up with Wendell.

Camille Saroyan looked beautiful as always in a bright red sweater and black pencil skirt. She was dressed for the season and that annoyed the beautiful artist in residence even more than Cam's cheerful attitude towards the day itself. They sat at the platform table together examining crime scene photos. Angela drew, Cam took notes and Brennan examined the remains of an eighteen year old girl nearby. The moment was entirely out of character for all of them. They tended to keep in their own personal space, only coming together when a case required it.

But for some reason, today was different. Angela secretly suspected that Cam and Brennan sensed her desperate need for "post break-up company" and had arranged their work space accordingly.

Cam tried again to explain her love for the holiday over glossy pictures of melted flesh. "Ever since my first secret admirer in second grade, I've always felt like… even if I'm not with someone.... there's always the possibility of someone." She shrugged, "And to me that's worth celebrating." Her face turned wistful and Angela couldn't help smiling a little.

"I am also not opposed to this Valentine's Day," Brennan added. "I have some distinctly pleasant memories associated with this holiday." Angela heard Booth walking by the platform on his way out the door.

"Hey Booth. Are you riding with us to the thing tonight?" Angela grinned over the railing at him. The Fire and Ice Ball was an annual benefit for the Jeffersonian. Angela loved to go when she was in a relationship. Everyone dressed up in bright red or ice blue and drank and danced and gambled. But this year, they were all going as a group, and no one was bringing a date. That was the deal. And just that quickly, the entire event had lost its appeal.

"I'm going with Perotta. I'll see you there though. You squints save me a dance" Booth said over his shoulder.

Angela and Cam exchanged a surprised glance and then cautiously slid their eyes up to Dr. Brennan. A charred bone clutched in one gloved hand, she stared at the place where her partner had just been. She looked momentarily lost. Forlorn and childlike. If they hadn't both witnessed that moment, it would've been as though it never happened because Brennan quickly leaned back down over the body and continued her work without a word. Cam and Angela looked back at each other and rolled their eyes in unison. She seemed heartless to them, knowing what they did about Booth's feelings for her. How could she not care that he was moving on? It was impossible that she was indifferent to him.

"Well I guess I'm the only one who's not looking forward to tomorrow then." Angela returned irritably to her previous subject. They worked together on the platform for three more hours, trading stories about their best and worst Valentine's Days. Cam's best was the 2nd grade secret admirer. She had yet to discover who left the flower and homemade valentine on her desk at school. Her worst was the day she found Michelle's dad in bed with another woman.

Angela's worst was in high school. Her date to the Valentines Day Dance got drunk and threw up in her mouth as they were making out on the dance floor.

"I had the best sexual intercourse of my entire life on February 14th, 2000 on the beach in Tahiti," Brennan contributed honestly, much to the chagrin of Dr. Hodgins who happened to join them at that exact moment.

"Wow! Thanks for that." He said sarcastically.

"You are welcome" Brennan replied "We were just sharing our best and worst Valentine's Days" His eyes doubled in size as he glared desperately at Angela.

"No way Angie you didn't!" he protested "That was NOT for public knowledge. I can't believe you…"

"Jack!" she interrupted "I didn't." He watched her suspiciously for a moment before he relaxed.

"Angela told us a fascinating story about a high school dance and a mouth full of vomit." Cam grinned at him. "Of course now we won't rest until we discover what has you so worked up." She didn't take her sharp eyes from his bright red face for a long moment. Angela began to convulse in silent laughter.

"She is serious Dr. Hodgins" Brennan explained helpfully "She enjoys these sorts of embarrassing anecdotes. I would humor her if I were you. She is your superior after all."

Angela could not stop laughing, little unladylike snorts escaped from underneath the hands that were covering her mouth.

"I absolutely refuse to tell this story" he said as he walked quickly from the platform. Cam jumped out of her chair to follow him.

"I've decided not to attend tonight's function." Brennan said quietly as she worked.

"Excuse me?!" This was completely unacceptable if not wholly unexpected.

"I believe I will stay here and work the case. This young woman has parents out there somewhere who don't know where she is." The sympathetic victim card. Usually that particular excuse was quite successful, but not tonight.

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that Booth has a date?" Angela asked.

"No," Brennan responded as though the idea had never occurred to her.

"You will not ruin this night for me Brennan. I love the Fire and Ice Ball and you promised that it would be fun this year because we would all be going in a group and no one would have dates. And now you're backing out on me." She stopped only long enough to take a breath. "I have to spend the night avoiding Wendell and lusting after Hodgins and spying on Booth's date all by myself! I don't think so. No way."

"Perhaps you should simply stay at the lab and work the case with me. Then neither of us would need to attend."

"I bought my dress, I got my nails done, I am going to this damn ball Brennan and you are coming with me." She finished, stomping one foot for effect.

"I would prefer not to go." She hated hearing the hurt in her voice .

"Look, sweetie, I know it's hard for you go see Booth with someone else. I'm not blind."

"That is not true." She protested.

"You don't think I know you by now?"

"I am glad that Booth is interested in pursuing a relationship with a woman. He has been spending far too much time at work. His social life has been severely restricted as of late."

"That is very generous of you Brennan but it's a load of bull." She stood, hands on hips and prepared to go in for the kill.

"The only reason that Booth is going with Perotta is because he believes that you are not interested. Now you and I both know that isn't the case. So I think that the best thing to do. The most adult, rational, practical thing to do… Would be to dress to kill, and make him eat his heart out all night long."

"If I were going to kill someone Angela, I would wear gloves and clothes made out of highly flammable material; I hardly think that would be appropriate for a ball." Angela rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Moreover, Booth has shared with me that he has no interest in eating human heart, though I find the prospect interesting from a purely scientific perspective. And of course he couldn't possibly eat his own heart…"

"What I mean is…" she interrupted, "You should look amazing, sexy, confident… he can't keep his eyes off you when you put on a dress Brennan. He'll ditch his date and end up going home with you or I owe you fifty bucks.

"That sounds like an incredibly simple bet for me to win."

"You have to try or I won't pay up."

"What do you mean by try?" Brennan asked suspiciously.

"I mean we leave right now, you let me dress you up and you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. Just let things happen. Don't avoid him, don't play games, just be you and let Booth be Booth and I will win my bet."

"That sounds fair. I did have to get ready anyways, I'd be grateful for your assistance." She smiled and Angela glanced at her watch. 3:00pm. She had four hours to turn this grubby squint into Cinderella.


	2. Chapter 2

The limos arrived at the lab at 7 sharp. As they all piled in, Angela surveyed her handiwork with barely concealed glee. Brennan wore a bright red dress, the top was a daringly low cut halter that showcased her generous cleavage and silky pale skin. It swept over her curves and swished elegantly around her silver sandals. Ruby earrings dripped from her ears and smoky eye makeup made her look just a little bit mysterious. Her nails were shiny and French tipped and her hair was piled into a tousled mass at the crown of her head. It was hard to believe that this was the same woman who had been hunched over a pile of bones only a few hours before.

Arastoo was completely start struck. He stuttered his complements, switching involuntarily back and forth between his real accent and his fake one. Vincent Nigel-Murrey said something about fingernails growing four times faster than toenails. Fisher stared at her gaping neckline until Clark elbowed him hard in the ribs.

If the interns' stunned reaction was any indication, Booth was going to have a very difficult evening ahead of him. Poor sucker.

* * *

Booth took Perotta's coat and checked it for her while she got them their drinks. He still hadn't decided how he felt about her yet. He liked her, respected her work, he found her attractive…. But there was definitely something missing. Of course that probably had nothing to do with Perotta and everything to do with his hideously inappropriate infatuation with his partner. But Bones wasn't into him, and he was only human. So here he was, trying to connect with someone else. Someone who wasn't the one he really wanted.

They sat at a table with five other agents, two of whom brought their wives. The conversation was lively and he found he was really enjoying himself after a few minutes. If he looked anxiously towards the door every few seconds, it most certainly had nothing to do with his desire to see Bones. He simply missed his squints. He found he was much closer to them these days than he was to the other agents he worked with. It felt strange being here without them this year.

Perotta seemed to sense his unease. "They'll be here Agent Booth; they have that table right next to ours so you'll have someone to talk to when we run out of things to say at this table." He didn't bother denying her assessment; he just teased her back "You don't think you can keep me entertained all night?"

"I don't think my IQ is high enough to hold your interest for long." He didn't miss the reference.

"We're just partners" he said quickly, but she knew better. Anyone who had worked with Booth and Brennan knew that statement to be blatantly false.

"I like you Seely. I really do." She said earnestly "But I know your heart isn't free." She stopped him when he would have disagreed. "I just wanted to have fun tonight. Dance with a good looking guy, flirt a little, maybe make Dr. Brennan a little jealous…" Her smile was soft and genuine.

"Fun I can do" he replied, his heart inexplicably lighter. He pulled her out of her chair and twirled her onto the dance floor. She was a great dancer and her dry, sarcastic commentary on every person in their line of sight kept him thoroughly entertained.

"Oh my God," she let out a low whistle and he followed her eyes to the door of the massive ballroom. The initial burst of pleasure he felt at seeing his favorite people filing into the room, was replaced with a sharp stab of lust at the sight of his partner. Bones handed off her coat and rewarded the coat check boy with a dazzling smile. He suddenly wished he was a coat check boy.

She was so incredibly, heart-breakingly gorgeous. He knew without a doubt that he could never be good enough for her and his heart sank into the pit of his stomach, even as his pulse began to race in excitement. Perotta reached up and physically pushed his jaw shut. "You're getting drool all over me Seely." She teased. He looked down into her sweet, understanding face and fervently wished that he felt even a tenth of what he'd felt when he saw Bones. He started to apologize but she wouldn't let him.

"I know Booth." She laughed "You remember what you told me when you were on pain killers?" He had a feeling he wasn't going to like whatever came next.

"I don't remember much about that week," he admitted.

"You told me I had to protect her silky black hair and her soft skin." She suppressed a giggle.

"Her hair isn't even black" he felt an absurd need to point that out… choosing not to think about how many other things he may have revealed during his week on bed rest.

"I figured out that I didn't have a chance with you that day." Her eyes were sad for a brief moment before her face became animated and she continued. "But she has …. No idea… I mean NO CLUE Booth!" she said in disbelief. "I can't imagine how difficult it has been for you to keep this from her."

"She doesn't see it because she doesn't feel the same way" he explained. She snorted.

"You are just as blind as she is" she smiled belligerently up at him and he spun her around until that irritating smile dropped off her face.

* * *

Angela pulled Wendell aside and he gazed softly down at her. "So I was wondering if you might like to help me do a little match making." His gaze turned suspicious and she continued. "Booth is here with Perotta; Brennan won't admit that it bothers her. I had to beg her to come tonight, her feelings were so hurt."

"Dr. Brennan's feelings cannot be hurt." He said with certainty.

"Look at her Wendell." Dr. Brennan stood only a few feet away from them, but somehow she looked like the only person in the middle of an empty room. She stood, frozen and stoic in front of them, watching as Booth led the gorgeous blond around the dance floor. Wendell's heart went out to her. He couldn't help it. It was so rare to see vulnerability in that brilliant face.

"I really don't want to piss Booth off." He hissed.

"Man up Wendell, he won't hurt you as long as you keep your hands where he can see 'em," she teased.

"Fine," he whispered "but if he shoots me, I'm holding you personally and financially responsible," he hissed. Closing the space between them he stood beside Dr. Brennan, taking in the scene for a moment before offering her his arm. She took it without hesitation. It felt strange having this woman so close to him. She had the power to make or break his career and he was about to ask her to dance. His palms began to sweat but he managed to keep his voice cool. "You wanna dance one before we sit?" he asked easily. She beamed up at him. Actually beamed. The force of that smile and that dress together made him weak in the knees. He led her to the floor and she slid easily into his arms. He grinned nervously at Booth as he and Perotta swished past them on the dance floor.

He noticed the blond for the first time. She and Booth were both dressed in "ice" blue and silver. She wore a long strapless blue dress and her thick blond hair was swept up into some elaborate knot at the back of her head. She was sexy, in a girl next door kind of way, and he found himself wishing he could trade dates with Booth. From the looks of it, Booth felt the same way. He felt hard brown eyes boring into his hand where it rested on Dr. Brennan's waste. That guy was so far gone.

When they left the dance floor, he naturally fell in step behind Brennan and Booth as they led the way back to their table. They began talking about the reports they hadn't finished that day and the case they had just finished and Wendell suddenly found himself exchanging a knowing grin with Agent Perotta.


	3. Chapter 3

Agent Perotta looked incredibly beautiful in her understated, pale blue dress. Angela had been wrong about this ostentatious red dress, it was too much. She felt as though everyone in the room was staring at her. Everyone except the person whose attention she was most anxious to procure.

Booth looked completely out of the character in a steel gray suit and baby blue tie. She tried not to watch him, but she couldn't help it. He looked so handsome, smiling down at Perotta over the candlelit table. The soft light playing with the rugged planes of his face. Her heart constricted for a moment with jealousy and her hand moved to her chest to ease the ache.

"Brennan, Sweetie, I promise you this was a good idea" Angela said. But Brennan could not help but disagree with her friend. Maybe she could sneak out early and head back to the lab. Her friend kept making unsolicited comforting remarks, making her feel more than a little bit pathetic. She saw Booth and Perotta stand up from the table next to them and wondered glumly if they were planning to dance again. Her heart did a quick flip flop when his eyes found hers and he winked playfully at her before walking towards the auction in the back of the ballroom. What was wrong with her that a simple wink from her partner could elicit such a significant biological response?

Wendell stood only moments later and asked her if she'd like to check out the auction with him. Angela kicked her under the table and she assumed that meant this trip to the auction room would be counted as "trying" for purposes of their wager. So she accepted Wendell's hand and followed him into the other room.

* * *

"You are shameless Angela. Using your ex boyfriend to make Booth jealous." Hodgins accused her, his tone was obviously more amused than offended.

"I've used you in more shameless ways than that" she teased, loving the way his eyes darkened and knowing exactly which post-break-up encounter his mind had drifted to.

"Speaking of shame" Cam interrupted "You promised you would tell me the Valentine's Day story later. And it's later buddy so spill." She demanded.

"God Cam you are ruthless" he complained. "Here? In front of all the interns? Seriously?"

"I can dismiss the interns if you'd like" she offered helpfully. "I'm sure they'd be willing to give us some privacy.

"Fine…. Fine" he agreed miserably, and the interns scattered, leaving Angela, Cam and Hodgins huddled conspiratorially at one corner of the table.

"So I flew Angela to Tahiti in my private jet where we had dinner and a beautiful evening walking along the beach. I called ahead to have roses all over the hotel room and fruit and champagne and all the usual romantic hotel crap." Angela had slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She would have to wait until he was done, or Hodgin's would never get it all out. "So we start to… you know…" he blushed uncomfortably at Cam and Angela rescued him.

"Mess around. We started to mess around." she explained.

"Yeah, uh... mess around...and Ang pushes me onto the bed and jumps on top of me." he slid his eyes to Angela's meaningfully "Which I love by the way." The electricity betweeen the former lovers was so strong, even Cam could feel it. Angela blushed, and Cam's eyebrows shot up. It took a lot to make this woman blush.

"So anyways," Hodgin's continued regretfully "They covered the bed in long stem roses, not rose petals like I asked.... and I got a thorny rose stem jammed up my rectum that had to be uh… surgically removed." Cam and Angela burst into hysterical laughter drawing curious looks from the surrounding tables and resentful glares from the interns who had missed out on the story. Hodgin's eyes narrowed as he watched the woman he loved and the woman he worked for laugh at his humiliation. They tried to apologize and stop a few times, but it became apparent that this particular laugh attack would not subside any time soon. After a few quelling glares and grimaces he couldn't help but join in their laughter. It was undeniably funny after all, and it had been long enough ago that he could finally look back on the whole thing with some perspective.

"Worst Valentine's Day of my life." He explained when he finally caught his breath.

"Best Valentine's Day of my life." Angela countered through tears of laughter.

* * *

Squint laughter could be heard all the way in the back of the room, where Booth was making fun of the things rich people would pay for. It was nice to be around someone who's resources were similarly limited for a change. Perotta had offended at least three rich old ladies in the ten minutes they'd been walking around the silent auction. He heard Wendell and Bones talking behind him, and supressed his irritation at the attention Bones was getting from Angela's ex tonight. "That Wendell guy, he seems pretty normal for a squint." Perotta said casually. He smiled. This was good. "Yeah, he's just as smart as the rest of them but he has the whole social thing going for him too." His date nodded thoughtfully and stole a glance at the young scientist.

"Hey Wendell you got half a mil to drop on this earring?" he moved aside so Wendell could see the enormous stones displayed on the table in front of them.

"I don't date the kind of girls who wear a million bucks on their ears." he grinned boyishly.

"What kind of girls do you date?" Perotta asked curiously. _Atta girl_. Now they just needed some time alone and everything would work itself out.

He caught his partner's attention. "Hey Bones, remember this place?" Booth held up a brochure for a hotel in Vegas they'd explored during one of their cases in Sin City.

"Is that where that tiny concierge woman accused you of stealing?" she asked.

"That's the place" they laughed and huddled together to look through the brochure. "Maybe I should bid on this and go back down to visit her. You think she'd be happy to see me?"

"I really don't think she would Booth." She answered earnestly.

"Hey Booth, you mind if we trade dates? Agent Perotta promised me a dance." Wendell asked from somewhere behind him. He waved dismissively over his shoulder.

"I am not your…" Bones started to yell after them but must have thought better of it. "I'm not his date" she whispered to him.

"Of course you're not." He laughed out loud at the idea.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"Nothing…" she glared up at him, indicating she would not be accepting that explanation.

"Okay fine, it's just….Wendell is so obviously not right for you."

"Why not?" she asked.

"He's too smart for you. You'd be bored if you didn't have someone to explain things to."

"I often date men more intelligent than Wendell." She pointed out.

"Yeah and how'd that work out for you?" He shot back sarcastically as he grabbed two glasses of champagne and handed one to her.

"You have a valid point," she replied "I have yet to experience a successful relationship with a man of above average intelligence." He was surprised at her easy acquiescence.

"Of course I have yet to have a successful relationship with someone of average intelligence either." He slid an arm around her waist and squeezed her quickly to his side. "'_Yet'_, is the key word there Bones," he said and released her. She blushed self-consciously and moved to stare contemplatively at a bronze sculpture. The smell of her was still all over his jacket.

"God you smell good Bones. What the hell is that?" He buried his face in her hair and took an exaggerated breath. She pushed playfully at him and he pulled regretfully away.

"I got new perfume. Angela said it went with my outfit." She turned one dainty wrist towards him and tucked it under his nose. He inhaled deeply and suppressed the urge to kiss the spot where her pulse was beating against his face. "What do you think? Does it go with my outfit? Because I really have no idea what that means." She couldn't possibly have any idea what she was doing to him, so he played along.

"I don't know Bones. It's hard to say. Turn around; I have to see the whole outfit before I decide." She spun awkwardly in place, allowing him a long leisurely look at the dress he'd only gotten short stolen glances at up until now. She was exquisite. Her back was bare, her waste looked impossibly small and the neckline was so low he thought he might just start drooling again.

He drug his eyes up to her face. She just stood there, a serene expression marked her elegent features as she slowly sipped her champagne and waited patiently for his opinion.

"Angela was right;" he held her eyes "You look as good as you smell." Her soft red lips curved into a sensual half smile and he let out a slow even breath, in an attempt to control his raging hormones.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked.

"A little." He wondered what had possessed him to be so ridiculously honest. It was probably the dress. How was he supposed to think up a proper lie with her gorgeous chest on display for the entire world to see? She was looking at him, confusion puckering her forehead.

"Seriously Bones, how am I supposed to pay attention to my date when you're all…all" he gulped his champagne and nearly choked.

"All what Booth?" her eyes were playful, smoky and seductive and he lost all coherent thought.

"All… you know… wearing… you know… that dress and smelling sort of…you know all..." this was so painful. His mouth kept saying words even though his brain was telling him to stop.

"I didn't mean to distract you from Agent Perotta… I should let you get back to her." Her eyes dropped to the ground and her arm crossed over her stomach. Of course she would misunderstand. He makes a complete ass out of himself over her dress and she thinks he's trying to explain how he needs to get back to his date.  
"She's dancing with Wendell." He answered, as he watched two of his favorite blond people getting to know each other on the dance floor.

"Are you irritated with him for taking your date?" she asked.

"Not at all." He said easily. "I guess that doesn't bode well for my relationship with Perotta does it?" He offered her an arm and they wandered slowly through the room, talking easily and examining each lot.

"Phillies tickets Bones! Look at these seats," he said reverently. "You have to bid on this."

"What? I don't even watch baseball Booth." She said dismissively, but she picked up the program and flipped absently through it.

"We could pick any game of the season! You know how much these cost?"

"Highest bid right now is $10,000.00." she read off the silent auction sheet.

"Whoa" he whistled.

"That isn't really too much for me. Do you want me to purchase these tickets for you and Parker?"

"No!" Ah, back to the money issue. "No thanks Bones. That's outrageous for tickets to one ball game." She shrugged.

"Maybe sometime we could go though." He asked. "I mean I know you don't like sports but you might have fun at a ball game with me and Parks. Sitting out in the sun, eating hotdogs, drinking beer…"

"I'm a vegetarian."

"They have all sorts of vegetarian food at a baseball game. Popcorn, cheese sticks, pizza, candy…"

"But I wouldn't understand what was going on in the game." She pointed out.

"Me and Parker, we would teach you. Guys love teaching girls about that kind of stuff." The look she gave him could only be described as coy. It was completely out of character and he had to take another couple deep breaths to keep from kissing her.

"Sounds fun," he was unreasonably pleased that she'd agreed to this plan. The thought of Bones in a baseball hat, yelling at the umpire was highly entertaining. What an odd fantasy. Not the kind of fantasy a guy usually had when he was thinking about getting laid.

* * *

"He said that he was having difficulty paying attention to Agent Perotta due to my dress and my perfume." Brennan explained to Angela as they freshened their makeup in the powder room later. "I apologized for distracting him, although I believe that distraction falls within the parameters of your desired outcomes for this evening's experiment."

"It's not an experiment sweetie. I just happen to know the two of you better than you know yourselves and I feel that I should make a profit on that knowledge." She grinned. "I can't believe you apologized for distracting him from his date."

"To be honest, I did not actually feel true regret; I simply told him that I did because it was the polite thing to say."

"Next time he compliments your dress, you give him a compliment back. Or you tell him you picked the dress out with him in mind."

"But I didn't pick it out, you did."

"Fine then tell him I said he would like it…. He'll know exactly what that means."

"But I don't even know what that means Angela."

"It means you wanted him to be distracted."

"I already told him that I was sorry that he was distracted. I can't say that, he'll think I'm being disingenuous." She protested.

"You were being disingenuous when you apologized."

"That is true." She agreed, slicking bright red gloss over her lips.


	4. Chapter 4

When they rejoined the ball, Hodgins immediately swept Angela onto the dance floor and she was left with the opportunity to observe the behavior of the people in the room. The party was aesthetically pleasing due to the uniform color scheme of the attendees. Crystal Chandeliers hung artfully throughout the room. Ice sculptures and candles created a beautiful, sparkling space. The kind of place that made her think about things other than science. Thinks like love and friendship and family. She sighed happily, her eyes darting about the room, seeking out familiar faces.

Angela and Hodgins were on the dance floor staring deeply into each others eyes. They whispered and laughed and it looked to Brennan as though they had completely forgotten where they were. Wendell and Perotta were sitting at the FBI table, completely absorbed in whatever they were discussing. Booth sat at the squint table engaging in a lively debate with Arastoo and Clark. Vincent Nigel-Murrey and the depressed intern were attempting to make the acquaintance of two lovely young scientists at the bar by purchasing mass quantities of alcohol for their consumption.

She wandered slowly towards the table, her eyes on the back of Booth's neck. She'd never noticed how nice his neck was. Strong, smooth and tan…it was the perfect neck. She was still half way across the room when he turned in his chair and looked directly at her. How was it possible for him to know she was looking at him from that far away? He excused himself from the table and met her in the middle. His nearness overwhelmed her. Which was strange because he was always near.

"Dance with me?" she felt her heart pound in her chest as she dropped her hand in his. The song was slow and soft and he spun her around once before pulling her against him. The heat radiating from his body was infectious and she found herself flushed with excitement at being this close to him for such an extended period of time.

"Wendell and Perotta seem to be hitting it off." She commented absently.

"They do don't they?" He appeared to be completely unconcerned.

"So I assume you won't be asking her out again?"

"Actually, she asked me out." He clarified "But yeah, I think she will probably know better than to ask me out again." She looked up into his face, trying to read the expression there and failing miserably.

"What are you thinking about?" she decided the direct approach was best, no matter how cliché the words. His laugh was self deprecating.

"Your dress."

"What about it?"

"I'm thinking that it's so beautiful I wish there were more of it."

"I thought you liked it Booth, you said earlier…."

"I do like it Bones, it's just…"

"Distracting?" she supplied.

"That is an understatement."

"I find it interesting that one piece of clothing could be the cause of such complex emotions."

"Oh they aren't complex Bones, pretty straight forward actually."

"Granted I am not skilled at understanding subtle social cues, but…. are you saying that my dress makes you think about sex?"

"Wow! I guess I should be used to that by now shouldn't I?" he slid his hand lower on her back and pulled her closer. She breathed in the smell of him and let her hands wander from his shoulder to his chest and under his jacket to the soft white shirt that separated her from his skin. She felt his mouth in her hair and her whole body tensed in anticipation.

"When are we going to that baseball game?" She murmured.

"Season doesn't start for another couple of months."

"Oh" she was actually disappointed and he chuckled, his face moving from her hair to her ear, sending shivers through her body.

"I'll get you a hat. You can practice team spirit for the next couple months while we wait for the season to start."

"Andrew invited me out to dinner tomorrow" she changed the subject abruptly as she noticed Assistant Director Hacker watching them from a nearby table.

"Of course he did." Booth shot back, completely unsurprised.

"I haven't called him back yet and he's just sitting over there watching us right now. I feel a little awkward about it actually." She whispered.

"I wouldn't think you were the type of woman to enjoy the whole Valentine's Day 'thing'."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" She demanded.

"Because you don't believe in love and you don't believe in commercialized holidays," he explained simply.

"I believe in sex and good food served at nice restaurants."

"But Valentine's Day is about love Bones, not sex."

"But didn't I just tell you last week that I am now open to the possibility that love exists?" She pointed out.

"You did." He agreed.

"And haven't I begun spending holidays with family and friends, while simultaneously participating in various commercialized rituals."

""You've changed, I admit it." He'd give her that much. "But I still can't imagine Hacker bringing you flowers and buying you dinner… I'm sorry I just don't see it. Wouldn't you rather have a bone bouquet and some meaningless sex in the janitor's closet?" His words sounded harsh, but she saw it for what it was. He was testing her, searching for that line, begging her to argue with him.

"Just because my views on relationships are non-traditional, doesn't mean I don't enjoy romance Booth."

"Really?!" he seemed genuinely surprised and that annoyed her. "See now this is what I like about working with you Bones. You're full of surprises."

"What I like about working with you is just the opposite. You're dependable, predictable…and I know what you will do before you do it."

His face crinkled in distaste. "You make me sound pretty boring Bones." She smiled "No… What I mean is that I've never been able to rely on anyone before and I enjoy that aspect of our partnership." His soft brown eyes lit up with understanding.

"You've got it half right Bones…" he slid his hand up her back and pulled her head down to rest on his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere" his voice was muffled "But you know Bones, I just might surprise you someday."

* * *

"Fire and Ice," Angela grinned at them as they walked arm and arm off the dance floor.

"Nah, the ice queen just put on a red dress." Booth ribbed her playfully.

"That is a hurtful moniker Booth. I dislike being addressed as the ice queen." She pulled away and faced him, hands on hips, fire in her eyes.

"I was kidding Bones, come on."

"Um Awkward! Booth, she actually used to get called that in college a lot." Angela pointed out helpfully. "Apparently it's still a little painful."

"I don't care if other people think I'm frigid. I just can't believe that _you_ think that!" She poked his chest for emphasis.

"I don't think that Bones! I was kidding. It's completely ridiculous, that's why I thought it would be funny… you know… it's like telling a supermodel she's fat or telling an NBA ball player he's short…" Angela threw her hands up in defeat and left them to battle it out.

"So when you said I was an ice queen you actually meant that you believed me to be the opposite of an ice queen?"

"I didn't _mean_ anything Bones. I was just teasing." Her hands dropped from her hips and her eyes softened and he knew he'd won.

"You know, ice is not a fitting description of you either, although, the color suits you."

"Did you just call me hot?" He grinned at her and her entire body heated in response.

"No. I simply complemented your attire."

"You know, you take all the fun out of a compliment Bones."

"I believe that Andrew is coming over to ask me about tomorrow." Her eyes found Booth's, and she willed him to give her an excuse to say no to Hacker. It was still impossible to tell if he returned her feelings. He cared for her, that was obvious, but he had been clear from the beginning, there was a line here that he was not willing to cross. And how long was she supposed to wait? She couldn't stand around indefinately, waiting for him to make up his mind. Buying ridiculously revealing clothing and expensive perfume, hoping that he would suddenly become attracted to her. No. Tonight was that line. Angela had drawn it for them. He would cross it or he wouldn't. He only had a few seconds to make a move.

But he just dropped his eyes to the floor and mumbled something about getting a drink for his date. The line remained in tact. And just like that, Angela lost her bet.


	5. Chapter 5

Booth had gotten in two more dances with his partner throughout the night. He got to touch her, to flirt with her; he even got to surreptitiously kiss her forehead once. It was absolute heaven. Of course Hacker had brought him crashing back down to earth. Not only was Bones his partner, she was also dating his boss. How off limits could one woman get?! He hated Hacker. Fortunately, he had resisted the urge to haul off and punch the guy, but that didn't keep him from fantasizing about it.

His boss had come back to their table, thrilled to report that he'd secured a date with Temperance for Valentine's Day. That news had officially ruined his perfect evening and Booth had taken his date home soon afterward.

How could he possibly get one up on Hacker? Hacker would get to take her to a romantic dinner, bring her flowers, walk her to her door, kiss her goodnight, maybe even spend the night…The asshole even had the balls to order those damned long stemmed roses while he was still sitting at his table! Right there next to him... It was extremely irritating.

He still couldn't believe Bones was into all that romantic Valentine's Day crap anyway. That had been a shocker. He himself hadn't been romantic in years. Protective, seductive, passionate…yes. But never romantic. Not that he didn't like to be, he just hadn't felt the need to be romantic since Rebecca dumped him. He stored this new piece of information away, wondering how he could use it to get her away from Hacker.

Then suddenly, laying in his bed alone, staring at the ceiling, he had an epiphany. Daisies and Daffodils! She loved them. He could totally get away with this without scaring her. Daisies and daffodils were not romantic flowers. They were friendship flowers. A guy could get his partner a bunch of daffodils and it wouldn't be strange. All he had to do was play it off like it was no big deal. But it _would_ be a big deal. It would show her that he could be just as romantic as Hacker. It would show her that he thought about her on that day, and best of all, it would force her to think about him.

He had all the time in the world to convince Bones that he was the right guy for her, all he had to do was take it slow.

He smiled to himself, his confidence renewed. When it came to Bones, he had the edge. He knew her inside and out. Knew how she thought, what turned her on, what freaked her out… Hacker was just guessing. Poor slob didn't have a chance. She might be spending Valentine's Day with Andrew Hacker but Seely Booth would be the one in her head.

* * *

She arrived at the office that morning at 8am. Later than usual, but she'd danced until 2 in the morning so she slept in. She barely had time to check her email before a courier brought in a beautiful bouquet of bright yellow daffodils surrounded by pristine white daisies. How had Andrew known about her life long love of daffodils? He barely knew her.

She smiled as she dug through the leaves for the card. He really was a nice man. She froze at the name on the tiny red slip of paper in her hands. One word. "Booth."

Her heart did a quick somersault in her chest and her cheeks flushed. Booth had sent her flowers! She glanced around to make sure no one was looking before she buried her face in the bouquet. A ridiculously giddy euphoria overwhelmed her. The grin on her face felt permanent, like she would never be able to stop smiling.

She carefully arranged them next to her computer screen so she could look at them all day. She didn't even take the time to wonder what they meant. She had no idea, and she didn't really care. What they showed her, was that the line didn't exist. There was no metaphorical barrier between her and happiness. There was no one moment where he chose her or he didn't. There was just her and Booth and daffodils and hope.

"Oh God" she heard a disgruntled Angela grumble from the doorway.

"Not only did you not take Booth home last night, but you agreed to go on a date with Andrew Hacker and now he's sending you flowers?! This is so wrong Brennan..."

"Actually" she clamped down on one cheek with her teeth to suppress her grin "These are from Booth." She tried to sound casual and eyed her friend to see if it had worked.

"Shut up." Angela's voice raised in excitement. She grabbed the card from her desk. "Shut up!" she repeated, even louder than before. Brennan let the smile take over her face again.

"I can't believe he actually..." she stopped speaking when she looked up from the little red slip of paper to meet Brennan's eyes. "Well now, look at you!" her friend took in her beaming face. "I wish you could see your face right now Brennan because if you saw how happy he makes you…"

"He did not _make_ me happy" she pointed out. "I simply _choose_ to enjoy the gesture."

"I just…. You know I've never..." Angela struggled earnestly to put together the right words. "In all our years together, I've never seen you look as happy and at peace as you are at this moment." Her friend's sincerity forced Brennan to really think about that observation. She couldn't remember ever feeling this happy before either. Maybe when she got her PhD… but that was a different kind of happiness.

"Did you finish that facial reconstruction?" She changed the subject before she was forced into revealing too much.

* * *

The day drug on. She jumped every time the phone range, wishing Booth would call or come by, but knowing he had no reason to. There were no new cases, just piles and piles of paperwork for hours on end. She found herself palming the piece of paper with his name on it, rubbing it absently between her thumb and forefinger as she worked. It seemed like everyone had some excuse to come to her office and see if the flower story was true. Had someone put out a memo? Because she could have sworn the whole museum had heard. Impossible. Even Angela didn't have that big a mouth. Would Booth be embarrassed if he knew how many people had seen his flowers on her desk?

She heard him coming before she saw him. It was almost four in the afternoon. What was he doing here? Angela's voice drifted through the doorway.

"Major points for the flowers Booth." She heard the distinctive smack of a high five before he sauntered into her office. She hadn't thought about this part. What did you say in a situation like this? She rattled through the options in her mind. _Why the hell did you send me flowers? _Not quite the thing. How about... _Happy Valentine's Day? _or... _You make me happy_... scratch that... _I choose to be happy about the flowers you sent me._

"Hey Bones we got a case. Let's go!" He clapped his hands twice and came to stand in front of her desk. "Hey these look great don't they? I didn't know if you'd like those fruity colored Gerbera ones better," he picked one daisy out of the bouquet to smell it and she slapped his hand.

"Put that back Booth, it needs water." He tossed her a crooked smile and dropped it back into the vase. She felt that uncontrollable grin taking hold once more as he charmed his way through a situation that could have been so awkward.

"They're perfect," she said simply as she gathered her things to go.

"Yeah well Hacker is doing the whole red rose thing and I thought it was only right for you to have at least one bouquet of flowers that you actually like on Valentine's Day." He explained as they walked out the door.

"Oh… that reminds me, I should call and cancel my date. We'll more than likely be out late working on the case."

He caught her wrist before she could dial and she wondered if he felt her pulse racing wildly against the pressure of his thumb. His eyes were narrow and dark and her heart skipped a beat.

"Bones, you don't have to cancel. We have plenty of time to get back." He said without releasing her wrist. She stared for a moment at the point of contact. The place where his rough calloused hands touched her white skin. It burned and throbbed and sent tingles of pleasure up her arm. She made a decision. Line or no line, she did not want to be with Hacker on Valentine's Day. She wanted to be with Booth, even if that meant identifying rotting corpses late into the night. The mildest touch from him was more exciting than an entire evening with Andrew.

"You never know how long it will take Booth. I'd hate to be in a rush to get to dinner and not do a thorough job on the scene." She tugged her hand free and dialed "I'll just be a moment," she said as she walked back into her office for some privacy. She could have sworn that for just a brief moment, a blatantly arrogant smirk crossed her partner's face. But she could never be certain if she'd really seen it.

THE END


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